Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and John Schneider are staring at the Blue Jays' biggest problem, and it is not the rotation.
Toronto entered Friday at 38-42, 9.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, yet still sitting in the third American League Wild Card spot. That says more about the league around them than the club itself.
The standings can hide a flaw for a while. The Blue Jays have spent this season proving a team can stay in the hunt while still looking painfully incomplete at the plate.
That is the real reason this season has felt off. Toronto is not losing because the staff has totally fallen apart. It is losing because too many innings pass without enough damage from the lineup.
The club's batting average is not the issue on its own. Toronto has gotten enough contact to stay afloat, but the lack of walks, home run punch and timely hitting has stripped the lineup of its old edge.
No player shows that imbalance better than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He is hitting .280, yet he has only 4 home runs and a .729 OPS through 75 games.
Kazuma Okamoto has been the one true power threat. He leads the Blue Jays with 18 home runs and owns a .793 OPS, which tells you how badly Toronto has needed someone to carry the middle of the order.
Kazuma Okamoto cannot carry this lineup alone
That is where the frustration starts. Okamoto has given Toronto real thump, but a contender cannot live on one power bat while everyone else chips in around the edges.
Last year's version of this club had pressure up and down the lineup. This one has too many nights where a single mistake by the other starter never gets punished.
The pitching staff deserves some credit here. Toronto has survived enough bumps and still kept itself around league-average territory, which is more than the offense can say.
That leaves Schneider and the front office with an obvious deadline message. If the Blue Jays are buying, the first move should be for offense, not another arm.
A right-handed or platoon outfield bat would make sense because Toronto needs more length and more force against left-handed pitching. It needs somebody who can change an inning with one swing or one quality at-bat.
Until that happens, this team is going to keep living on a thin margin. And that is the clearest reason the Blue Jays are under .500 halfway through a season that still should be asking for more.
Should the Blue Jays prioritize a bat over pitching at the trade deadline?
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